When Dr. Kyle Fuller joined the staff of Cascade Hospital for Animals recently as an Associate Veterinarian, it was a homecoming for her in more ways than one.

Kyle has returned to her hometown after stints as a graduate of Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C., a graduate of the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, an intern at an animal hospital in Washington state and associate veterinarian in Mississippi.

“I’ve traveled the country for the past 10 years or so, and I wanted to come back here to be with my family and friends,” said Kyle, who graduated from East Grand Rapids High School.

But there also is a particular connection with Cascade Hospital For Animals. As a child, Kyle brought her Shepard mix Niki and pet gerbils to the hospital for treatment by Dr. Richard Siegle and Dr. Steven McBride.

“When I was in 7th grade, I did a job shadow at the hospital when I followed Dr. McBride around for a day and then did a presentation at school about how I wanted to be a veterinarian,” Kyle recalled. “And now it is some 20 years later, and I actually work here with them.

“It’s much bigger and busier now. I like the variety and challenges of the cases here.”

While Kyle worked as a research assistant studying equine diseases one summer at MSU, she has a particular soft spot in her heart for cats and dogs. “I have two cats, Oscar and Izzy, and I am looking at getting a dog,” she said. “I just love treating companion animals.”

During her stints in veterinary medicine, Kyle has gained experience in pet rehabilitation, dentistry, soft tissue surgery, ultrasound, digital radiography, and small animal reproduction that she will be putting into practice at the hospital.

Outside of work, Kyle enjoys reading novels and watching movies of the sci-fi genre, riding her bicycle and occasionally surfing, which she learned while interning at the Chambers Prairie Veterinary Hospital in Olympia, Wash. “I have done a little bit of surfing in Michigan since I’ve returned, but the waves aren’t nearly as large as on the Pacific Coast,” Kyle said. “Waves aside, it’s great being back.”